1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to new and useful improvements in warehousing and shipping pallets, and in particular, to an improved dividable pallet and palletized shipping and display package.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The typical distribution technique for getting merchandise such as grocery items from a manufacturer to the consumer is to transport the merchandise in shipping packages form the manufacturer's facilities to a central warehouse, from where they are distributed to the storerooms of retail stores. At the retail store, the packages are kept in the storeroom until there is need to replenish the merchandise on the shelves. At this time, an individual package is placed upon a hand truck and taken to the shelves where the merchandise is removed from the package and placed on the shelves for display and purchase by the consumers.
The typical distribution technique is not entirely satisfactory for a number of reasons. For example, it is desirable to transport large packages of merchandise to the retail store storeroom, but undesirable to transport large packages from the retail store storeroom to the shelves. The conflict is usually solved by repacking the merchandise in smaller packages either at the central warehouse or in the storeroom of the retail store. The disadvantage of the additional labor is obvious. A more satisfactory approach would be to provide a dividable transport package which can be initially transported as a large package and later divided into smaller packages. A further disadvantage to the typical distribution technique is the necessity to remove the merchandise by hand from the shipping package and place it upon the shelves. And a further disadvantage to the typical distribution technique is that modern transporting vehicles, such as fork lift trucks, require the packages to be supported by a rigid support structure, such as a pallet, which is usually so expensive that it must be returned to the manufacturer, requiring extra labor and expense.
These disadvantages have been at least partially avoided by a number of developments in the art. For example, dividable pallets are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,157,423; 3,650,224; and 3,659,707. Also, disposable pallets which need not be returned to the manufacturer are illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,663. Shipping packages which can be divided into smaller packages in which the merchandise can be displayed and taken by the customer have also been developed, examples being disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,297,982; 3,127,991; 3,139,979; and 3,653,495.
None of these prior art shipping packages entirely solve the problems existing in the typical distribution technique. For example, the dividable pallets of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,157,423 3,650,224 are expensive and are not disposable. On the other hand, the disposable pellet of U.S. Pat. No. 3,007,663 is not dividable. Also, the dividable shipping/display packages of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,297,982; 3,127,991; 3,139,979; and 3,653,495 are small packages incapable of being transported by modern transporting vehicles without being placed upon separate supporting structures. The dividable, disposable transport package disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,707 appears to avoid many of the disadvantages described above, but its structure sacrifices strength by requiring the bottom portion to be slotted to enable the package to be divided. Furthermore, it appears to require special tools, such as a saw, for cutting the rims which interconnect the two halves of the tray if it is constructed with sufficient strength to be handled by modern transporting vehicles.
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, it is an object of the invention to provide a dividable pallet and a dividable palletized package which can be disposed of after the merchandise has been removed from within it. It is a further object of the invention to provide a pallet and a palletized package which can be divided into two or more containers without the use of special tools.